OUT WITH 2020…
Looking ahead
Goodbye, 2020 – don’t come back! GIO asked some of iGaming’s leading lights how their companies fared in 2020, and what we might see in 2021…
CEGO 2020
Jesper Karrbrink, CEGO Chairman
The last six months has been fantastic for CEGO, and for many other gaming companies. To start with I’m impressed with how fast management shifted to a Corona outside Denmark - Lyckost in Sweden. Lyckost is CEGO’s the coming years, proving that the CEGO model with inhouse games is working. So far in Sweden Lyckost is only using its own proprietary games and it works. Seeing this from a higher perspective is quite interesting since the entire industry has gone the total different way – the more the merrier has been the running trend, while CEGO is working more towards a curated offering adapted to their players. I think this is why their retention numbers as well as EBITDA margins are higher than most other operators.
2021
Looking forward to 2021, we will see CEGO continuing to focus on offering exclusive curated content to its players, slightly adapted to each markets’ preferences. We will also see a continued expansion in regulated markets with an increased focus on responsible gaming tools adopted not only for each regulation but that offer a secure gaming experience. During 2020, CEGO cut its marketing spend with 20% in Denmark, but in 2021, we will see more marketing initiatives that are tilted more towards entertainment and responsible gaming. From what I can see, 2021 will be really exciting with at least one or perhaps two large market launches.
OneTouch 2021 predictions
Regulation, regulation, regulation The ongoing pandemic has intensified media
scrutiny of our industry, and many regulators have noticed. Stricter measures are being introduced with increasing frequency, with reductions in maximum stake limits and further advertising restrictions appearing across the globe.
Head of Business Development and Operations Petra Maria Poola
For example, Curacao-licensees will be on a much tighter leash after local regulators vowed to clamp down on brands not doing enough to protect their players. Conversely, several jurisdictions have introduced measures that make it easier for companies in our industry to do business. Germany is a case in point: as one of Europe’s most populous and wealthy countries, it’s a very promising market and, despite stringent iGaming regulations, could prove lucrative for many.
Crypto goes mainstream
The crypto-betting space has arguably become mainstream already, and with payment providers such as PayPal giving their blessing to Bitcoin, I anticipate this trend will continue. It’s long past time for the vertical to shed its outdated reputation as an
6 JANUARY 2021 GIO
outlier, and when you’ve got a crypto-based sportsbook such as
sportsbet.io sponsoring a Premier League football team like Southampton FC, it’s clear that we’re nearing that point already. For that reason, I predict that gambling with a crypto currency such as Bitcoin or Ethereum is going to continue becoming a more common practice.
New generation of players
There’s an emerging generation of players out there, and operators and suppliers who, if they take the right approach, will enjoy tremendous success in engaging them. This next gen bettor will play a crucial role in 2021, and providers who optimise their content for mobile will be among the first to on-board them.
The importance of multi-channel content is likely to renew as the year goes on, with the lifting of lockdown restrictions leaving punters looking for on-the-move entertainment once again. Products such as our new live dealer offering, which authentically recreates the land-based casino experience for smartphone users, will be ideally placed to meet this demand.
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